Look into the eyes of hate. These are supposedly our brothers and sisters. But there is no moral justification for detailed adherence to orthodoxy because of issues like this:

Jerusalem Police on Thursday arrested a 32-year-old haredi resident of Mea She’arim, who was caught in possession of an improvised explosive device, police said.

The suspect, who was apprehended on Jaffa Road, told police that he planned to set the bomb off in some bushes to scare people away from attending the Gay Pride parade, set to take place in the capital on Thursday evening, Jerusalem Police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said.

Now you watch what happens, a slap on the wrist for this hate mongering Jew - dare I say Jewofascist - while he and his ilk routinely call for genocide of Arabs.

How are Ultra-Orthodox the problem, let me count the ways…

Return in compassion to Your city, Jerusalem, and rest within it as You have said. Rebuild it speedily, and in our days, a structure forever. And may You establish the throne of David within Jerusalem speedily. Blessed are You, Lord, the Builder of Jerusalem.

I woke up early to catch the shade of the wall and not stand out in the sun. Anthony came with me. He wanted to check it out. We got there and I was just about the only non-orthodox man there. I found a table and a couple chairs which I positioned near the wall. Anthony sat in the chair and watched. I then put on my tallis and tefillin and participated in a morning minyan. When it was time to say the Amidah, I went up to the wall and did it. The only strange thing is that my right hand started to shake and wouldn’t stop. I had to put it on the wall to make it stop. A little while later the service was over and we all hung out there for a bit. It is kind of interesting how the men mingle there and just shoot the breeze. I guess it is odd not to have women there but the tenor is changed somehow. I dont know how or why and dont jump down my throat about it. I am just reporting what happened.

Our first day in Jerusalem was spent roaming around the Old City and the western areas. We walked a long way from our hotel to the Israeli Museum, only to find out it was closed. Yeah closed. I simply forgot it was Sunday. DUH! Thankfully the guys were not too irritated with me. We make our way to Ben Yehuda Street and had a nice lunch at a great spot called Cafe Rimonim. Then we hike to the Jaffa gate past city hall and mysteriously find the famous drag club 4 Shushan (the city of the Purim tale).

As soon as walk the the Jaffa gate we are accosted with obnoxious Arab men trying to be our tour guides. They do not take any form of no. One of them grabbed my arm in an attempt to get me to talk to him. We exchanged harsh words and I walked along. He was a total aggressive prick. It really ruins the experience of wanting to walk around the sites when these men are consistently aggressive. To avoid more contact with pushy wannabe tour guides, we walk along the city wall through the Armenian section and down to the Jewish section.

I take us to The Kotel to show off the heart of Jewish Jerusalem. Once again I am standing in front of the Western Wall. It is simply amazing. I tell some of the history of this special spot to Anthony and Dan while welling up and crying as I relate the emancipation of H’Kotel from the hands of the Arabs in ‘67. What a beautiful sunny day to sit at The Wall, so that is what we do for about 45 minutes as the sun started to move in the Western sky.

We exit via the Dung Gate to head back to the hotel. During a little break we see a settler lady and her children get dropped off by a heavily armed guard in a armored van. A momentary juxtaposition occurs when one of the settler kids is transfixed by the toy 3 Arabs boys are playing with on the sidewalk. What else can I do but let out a big sigh.

We wander back along the slope of Mt. Zion towards Derek Hevron – the way to our hotel.

Here we go! There are all kinds of Israel tours but no one does it quite like we do…

1. Ramot in the Golan - 2 nights
2. Manot in the upper Galil - 1 night
3. Haifa - 1 night, thank you Bahá’u'lláh
4. Dead Sea - 1 night (it is SOOOO boring there)
5. Eilat - 4 nights
6. Jerusalem - 2 nights
7. Tel-A-fuckin’-viv - 4 nights

Holy Land look out cause we are on our way!

Most know some of these, but they were delineated at the end of the last Tractate.

17th of Tamuz - 5 bad things:

1. Tablets were broken by Moses upon seeing the Golden Calf
2. Tamid offering discontinued
3. Jerusalem city wall was breached
4. Roman military leader Apostumos burned the Torah in the temple
5. He also placed and image of an idol in the temple

9th of Av - 5 bad things:

1. We were decreed not enter Israel because we trusted the spies
2. 1st temple was razed
3. 2nd temple was razed
4. Bethar was conquered during Bar Kokhba’s Revolt
5. Jerusalem was plowed under

This is all from Taanit 26, which also says “A Jew should avoid a lawsuit with a Gentile in Av…when a Jew’s luck is bad.” in 29b.

On the other hand, 15th of Av is very auspicious:

1. Tribes were permitted to intermarry
2. Tribe of Benjamin was allowed to marry into Israel
3. Those destined to die in the wilderness finished dieing - see 1 under 9th of Av above
4. Hoshea ban Elah removed the guards from the temple permitting people to worship again
5. Jews of Bethar were allowed burial
6. No more trees felled for altar pyre - this is a bit obtuse, but it means the nights are longer

I do not think I need to comment at all. This stands for itself.

Egyptian MP: Nothing will work with Israel except nuclear bomb - By The Associated Press

Israeli excavations near the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem sparked angry reactions on Monday from Egyptian parliament members, including one who said only a nuclear bomb could stop Israel.

The excavations, which aim to salvage artefacts before construction of a pedestrian bridge leading to the complex also sacred to Jews, have angered many Muslims who fear the work will harm the foundations of al-Aqsa mosque. Israel says the holy places will not be harmed.

“That cursed Israel is trying to destroy al-Aqsa mosque,” Mohammed el-Katatny of President Hosni Mubarak’s National Democratic Party (NDP) told a heated parliament session held to discuss the Israeli digging.

“Nothing will work with Israel except for a nuclear bomb that wipes it out of existence,” he said.

Egypt was the first Arab state to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, but many Egyptians still regard Israel as an enemy because of its continued conflict with Palestinians.

Several Egyptian lawmakers at Monday’s session called on the government to abolish all agreements with Israel, but the house has little say in national security issues or foreign policy, ultimately dictated by Mubarak who has rejected similar calls in the past.

“The war with Israel is still ongoing whether we like it or not,” NDP lawmaker Khalifa Radwan said.

Mohamed Amer, another ruling party member, said: “What this [Israeli] gang is doing makes me demand that we trample over all the agreements we signed.”

Israeli authorities said on Monday they would reconsider the planned construction work near the mosque in response to Muslim protests but would continue to search for ancient artefacts in the area.